Talk:Main
All by myself. Oh I'm so lonely on this site, all by myself. I might as well just talk to myself here on the main talk page... If only I had a community to help me organize the wonderful history of l'empereur...--Napoleon of France (Talk) 03:24, April 27, 2011 (UTC) Awwww! You are never alone and it's better to talk to yourself than not at all. One wonders whether Napoleon in his isolation and extreme loneliness spoke to himself as he gazed out over the vast expanse of ocean towards distant Europe. It certainly was a lonely existence for such a man to endure. Solitude is good though Charle for when a man is alone he can truly be himself and I think it helps build character, and above all, true independance of thought and spirit.Le Tondu 19:34, November 30, 2011 (UTC)Dean :I think only you could turn a response into such an enlightening quote. I can't even imagine how someone as powerful as Napoleon would feel after losing everything in a single bad move and then living in isolation until his death. It's rather tragic.--Napoleon of France (Talk) 01:54, December 1, 2011 (UTC :"To die is nothing, but to live defeated is to die every day" How ironic that a quote by Napoleon actually turned out to be his fate. La-Bedoyere said of Napoleon of him being "chained to a rock where the memory of his greatness will gnaw at him" :The effect on Napoleon cannot be imagined Charlie; we can never hope to feel the anguish, the pain, the extreme loneliness of his isolation and perhaps worst of all - his extreme humiliation. The humiliating circumstances of his defeat and the loss of prestiege and reputation he suffered must have been hard bear for such a man who had been the most powerful man in the world. :Forced to live in the squalor that was Longwood by the English authorities that revelled in constantly kicking him down by refusing to recognise him with the respect that he deserved was a low blow indeed. Even amongst hiis own followers who shared his exile he could never be certain if they did it for love, duty or personal gain. He was alone with no one to really confide the true depth of how he felt. Sometimes talking about feelings can help, but for Napoleon, well, he was too proud and it would have been an admission of weakness to him. Perhaps the truest exile to him was Marchand, but a servant could never be a companion for an Emperor. although Napoleon after his death did say in his will, "His services to me were those of a friend" It must have pained him every day that none of his family came too, as well as the thought that he'd never see Marie Louise or his son ever again.I'm sure on St-Helena he regretted Josephine, for she at least in his eyes would have followed him into exile to share his suffering. Marie Louise abandoned him . :Knowing he could never return to France and be the man he once was, and if he did it would be by the grace of the Allies must have haunted him. Certainly Waterloo haunted him. Not so much the defeat itself for he had been defeated before, but the peronal defeat by Wellington which implied that he had been superseded, outfought and outgeneralled by a greater general. Wellington after Waterloo, as well as being feted by the allies as being Napoleon's conqueror went on to collect trophies of his victory; the statue by Canova which he placed at the foot of the stairs of Apsley house. Wellington also went on to make conquests of all the mistresses Napoleon had once enjoyed. Rumours must have reached him on St-Helena which must have weighed heavy on his heart. :There was nothing left for Napoleon to do after he had wrote his memoirs but learn how to die. He lost the will to live anmd yearned for it, with the exception of brief interlude of days of optimism. He could hardly commit suicide; that would have been by his own hand. He knew that he had to suffer first and die a martyr if his legend was to grow. It's said that pets can choose to die when they find themselves lost or alone. Animals in the wild do this when they have had enough of a miserable existence. They find the will to die and likewise Napoleon did the same. Dying of a broken heart, death came as a welcome release. Le Tondu 11:15, December 3, 2011 (UTC)Dean ::You should write a book. I'm serious. I'd buy it.--Napoleon of France (Talk) 18:06, December 3, 2011 (UTC)